3 Ways To Keep Your Leadership Fresh

Leadership – it’s a big responsibility! When conversing with leaders, I hear the words demanding, overwhelming, never-ending, lonely, and challenging frequently. Those words sound like a recipe for burnout. And that’s not a happy feeling!

To make matters worse, operating at max or maybe overflowing capacity, leaves very little room for doing what leaders do best – thinking, dreaming, strategizing, and approaching problems proactively. Nor does it offer them the time to develop themselves and grow as a leader in ways that would enable them to lead more effectively.

And then there’s the issue of not practicing self-care or investing in themselves in ways that would freshen up how they lead.

Frazzled?

What prevents you from being a frazzled leader with nothing left to give?

How can you ditch that stale feeling and lead with zest, energy, and creativity?

Trust me, it’s something you have to be intentional about. Think about it this way, if you ignore your hair over a period of time, it keeps on growing! Before you know it, your ends are split and your once beautiful style is now shapeless and frumpy.

And the truth is, when your hair looks great, you feel great, right?

Hair experts recommend that you get your hair cut or trimmed every 6-12 weeks to remove the split ends and reshape your hairdo. Plus, it just keeps your hair looking healthy and looking fresh!

No matter how amazing a haircut is, give it a few weeks and the amazing fades. Having great hair requires consistent attention.

I confess, I regularly push haircuts out well beyond the recommended time! I know, shame on me!

However, when it comes to consistently engaging in energizing activities and scheduling time to evaluate how I’m leading and running my businesses – that’s on the calendar for the first day of each month. It’s the perfect time to think about what needs to be trimmed and what changes would make me more effective. It’s time well spent!

The very same thing applies to how you lead! Over time, the brilliant ideas become dull, the vision fades, once effective processes no longer serve in the same way. It’s the regular trimming and “reshaping” that keeps your leadership fresh.

With that in mind, consider this…

1. Your Diet

The healthier your diet is the healthier your hair will be. If you survive on a diet lacking the proper nutrition – guess what? Your hair will suffer. Did you know that a lack of zinc or iron causes your hair to fall out? And that’s just the beginning. No matter how frequently you get your hair cut, it’s impossible to make up for a poor diet.

As a leader, professional, or entrepreneur, the same is true. Your diet – what you choose to take in and occupy your mind with – matters. Feeding on God’s Word, deliberately digesting information that’s positive and invites you to grow – that’s going to contribute to your health as a leader. But if your diet consists of junk, it has the opposite effect.

Consider the company you keep and the conversations you have throughout the day – those too are a part of your diet.

Eating is an everyday activity. What does your diet look like? How are you nurturing your leadership?

2. Your Habits

The beauty industry has created oodles of products and equipment all designed to give you the hair of your dreams. And they do provide the dream look on a short-term basis. At the same time, the chemicals in the products, and heat from the devices, actually have a damaging effect on your hair. Even your healthy diet might not save your hair from a hair care routine like that.

Other habits that wreak havoc on your hair: washing your hair too frequently, towel drying your hair, brushing it too much, or pulling it back in a ponytail or clip, which tends to break your hair.

In the same way, some habits are incredibly beneficial to you as a leader, professional, or entrepreneur, while other habits actually work against you.

If you want to thrive in your role and in your life, it’s essential to get the rest you need, drink plenty of water, exercise, make time to think, and carve out space for life-giving activities that keep you energized. Of course, developing great habits takes time, but I promise they will contribute greatly to rejuvenating you!

Here are 12 Habits that I highly encourage you to weave into your life and work, plus some handy tips too!

3. Trimming

Skipping a trim won’t keep your hair from growing. No, your hair will grow from ¼” to ½” each month regardless of whether or not you trim your hair. But if you don’t trim your hair you will end up with more split ends which weakens your hair. That leads to a raggedly look that will ultimately require you to have to cut off more than just the ends of your hair for it to look healthy again. It’s just how it is – over time your hair stops behaving like it once did.

The responsibilities of a leader continue to grow and become more and more unmanageable over time. That’s why regular “trims” are necessary. Without regular trimming, it doesn’t take long for you to suffer both personally and professionally. Ignore it, and it will be come necessary to cut more than you might like!

What do you trim? Your damaged ends – the parts that are no longer serving you well or leading to the results you are after. Clip away the stray hairs – the activities that are obsolete, the wild ideas, and the new opportunities that aren’t quite right; the unnecessary tasks, projects, and even people.

Don’t stop there. Let God reveal the negative mindsets that need to go. Your mindset drives your behaviors and impacts the way you interact and respond too.

Remember, God loves you! He wants you to succeed, not wear yourself out working. He wants you to leave room for Him to make up for your lack. Trust Him!

 A Fresh Cut

A lovely fresh hairdo – that’s a confidence booster! After a trip to the hairdresser, whether it’s a whole new look or just a trim, your hair is so much easier to maintain. And believe me, the same is true when it comes to your leadership!

Where does your leadership need a little freshening up?

I already confessed that I often put off trimming my hair, but the stakes are much higher when you put off trimming as a leader. Don’t miss out on the positive impact that maintaining your leadership offers!

The success of your leadership depends on how you choose to maintain it. What’s missing from your leadership maintenance routine?